JPH0975867A - Glass bottle color identification device - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) 【Abstract】 PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: There is a case where a stain attached to a glass bottle causes the glass bottle to be erroneously identified as a color different from the original color of the glass bottle, and most of the erroneously identified glass bottles are not colored. It was a colorless bottle. SOLUTION: A belt conveyor 12 that conveys glass bottles G to be sorted, a colorless bottle discriminating means 20 that discriminates the glass bottles G sequentially conveyed by the belt conveyor 12 into a colorless bottle and a colored bottle, and this colorless bottle discriminating means. The colorless bottle discriminating means 2 is arranged on the downstream side of the belt conveyor 12 with respect to 20.
The colored bottle identifying means 30 is provided for identifying the color of the glass bottle G which is determined to be a colored bottle by 0.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a glass bottle color identification device for identifying the color of a glass bottle in order to reuse a used glass bottle as a resource.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, from the viewpoint of resource saving and effective use, there has been an opportunity to collect used glass bottles and reuse them as resources. By the way, about half of the collected glass bottles are colorless and transparent, but there are many glass bottles colored blue, green, brown, black, or the like. In order to reuse the glass bottles, it is necessary to sort them by color, but the fact is that the sorting work is performed manually by relying on human hands.

The glass bottles to be sorted are not only clean ones because they are collected as wastes or wastes, but also many of them are dirty or damaged, so that the sorting work relying on manpower is very efficient. It is not good in terms of working environment. Therefore, a color identification device for mechanically color-coding glass bottles has been devised.

In the color discriminating apparatus 1 shown in FIG. 4, a glass bottle G conveyed by a roller conveyor 2 is irradiated with light from a light source 3 arranged below the roller conveyor 2. Then, passing through the gap of the roller conveyor 2, the glass bottle G
The transmitted light of the glass bottle G passing through is detected by the camera 4 arranged above the roller conveyor 2, and the color of the glass bottle G is identified from the detected transmitted light.

[0005]

However, since the glass bottles to be sorted are collected as waste products or wastes, many of them are contaminated with liquid remaining inside or dirt sticking to the outside. Sometimes the color of the light changed and it was erroneously identified as a color different from the original color of the glass bottle.

Moreover, most of the glass bottles that are erroneously identified are colorless bottles that are not colored, and these colorless bottles are identified as colored bottles that are colored in several colors. Therefore, the value of colorless bottles is much higher than that of colored bottles, and about half of the collected glass bottles are colorless bottles, so it was a problem to accurately identify the colorless bottles.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and accurately distinguishes a glass bottle into a colorless bottle and a colored bottle,
An object of the present invention is to provide a glass bottle color identification device that can more accurately identify the color of a glass bottle by identifying the color of only the bottle that has been identified as a colored bottle.

[0008]

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a glass bottle color identification device, which is a colorless means for distinguishing a glass bottle from a conveying means for conveying the glass bottle and a glass bottle successively conveyed by the conveying means. A bottle discriminating means and a colored bottle discriminating means arranged downstream of the conveying means from the colorless bottle discriminating means and discriminating the color of a glass bottle discriminated as a colored bottle by the colorless bottle discriminating means. To do.

In the glass bottle color identification device according to the first aspect, the glass bottles to be sorted are first discriminated into colorless bottles and colored bottles by the colorless bottle discriminating means in the process of being conveyed by the conveying means. Next, the color of the glass bottle determined to be a colored bottle is identified by the colored bottle identifying means.

The colorless bottle discriminating means in the glass bottle color discriminating apparatus according to claim 2 emits one of the three primary colors of light, and emits the light to the glass bottles sequentially conveyed by the conveying means, By a light receiving unit that receives transmitted light that is emitted from the light source and that passes through the glass bottle, and among the transmitted light of each glass bottle that is received by the light receiving unit, by detecting the transmitted light having the same color as the light emitted by the light source,
It is characterized by further comprising a discriminating means for discriminating a glass bottle emitting the transmitted light as a colorless bottle.

In the glass bottle color identification device according to the second aspect, the glass bottle to be sorted is irradiated with light of one of the three primary colors from the light source in the process of being conveyed by the conveying means. The light emitted from the light source passes through the glass material, is received by the light receiving means, is converted into a signal, and is transmitted to the determining means. The discriminating means detects the transmitted light having the same color as the light emitted from the light source among the signalized transmitted light of each glass bottle, and discriminates the glass bottle emitting the transmitted light as a colorless bottle.

[0012]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION An embodiment of a glass bottle color identification apparatus according to the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to FIGS. The glass bottle color identification device 10 shown in FIG. 1 is arranged continuously between an alignment means R for arranging the glass bottles G and a color-based ejection means H for separating and ejecting the identified glass bottles G for each color. A belt conveyor (conveying means) 12 for placing and conveying glass bottles, a colorless bottle discriminating means 20 disposed on the way of conveying the glass bottle G by the belt conveyor 12, and a belt conveyor 12 rather than the colorless bottle discriminating means 20. And a colored bottle identifying means 30 arranged similarly to the colorless bottle identifying means 20 on the downstream side.

As shown in FIG. 2, the belt conveyor 12 has a gap S formed in the central portion of the conveyor belt 12a along the direction in which the glass bottle G is conveyed. And are arranged in a V-shaped cross-section with the outer edge thereof located above. The width of the gap S is set so narrow that the glass bottle G having a small diameter does not fall.

The colorless bottle discriminating means 20 is the belt conveyor 1.
2 and the light source 21 arranged above the belt conveyor 12
The light receiving means 25 is provided below the light receiving means 25, and the discriminating means 28 connected to the light receiving means 25.

The light source 21 is arranged right above the belt conveyor 12, and a wide one is adopted in the width direction of the conveyor belt 12a so that the glass bottle G conveyed by the belt conveyor 12 is sufficiently irradiated with light. ing. Further, a diffuser plate 22 for diffusing light is attached to the light source 21, and a red gelatin sheet 23 is attached to cover the diffuser plate 22, so that the light source 21 emits red light having a strong red component. Has become.

The light receiving means 25 comprises a reflecting mirror 26 arranged directly below the belt conveyor 12, and a color sensor 27 arranged on the side of the reflecting mirror 26 while avoiding directly below the belt conveyor 12.

The reflecting mirror 26 is disposed immediately below the gap S,
The belt conveyor 12 is arranged so as to be inclined toward the side. As the material of the reflecting mirror 26, a material having a high strength is adopted so as not to be damaged even by scraps of waste dropped from the gap S.

The color sensor 27 is used for the belt conveyor 12
Is arranged on the lateral side of the reflecting mirror 26 so as not to be located directly below, and is directed to the reflecting mirror 26. The discriminating means 28 is connected to the color sensor 27.

The colored bottle identifying means 30 is a colorless bottle identifying means 2
The light source 31 arranged on the downstream side of the belt conveyor 12 with respect to 0 and arranged above the belt conveyor 12.
And the light receiving means 3 arranged below the belt conveyor 12.
5 and an identification means 38 connected to the light receiving means 35.

The light receiving means 35 is provided with a reflecting mirror 36 arranged directly below the belt conveyor 12, and a color sensor 37 arranged laterally of the reflecting mirror 36 while avoiding directly below the belt conveyor 12.

The light source 31, the reflecting mirror 36, and the color sensor 37 have the same shape and performance as the light source 21, the reflecting mirror 26, and the color sensor 27, respectively.
Moreover, the glass bottles are arranged side by side in the conveying direction and arranged in the same state. However, the light source 31 is not provided with a means for changing the color of light such as the red gelatin sheet 23, and emits white light. The identification means 38 is connected to the color sensor 37.

The discriminating means 28 and the discriminating means 38 are respectively connected to the control means 40 for controlling the color-by-color discharge means H.

The operation of the glass bottle color identification apparatus 10 constructed as described above will be described with reference to the flow chart shown in FIG.

[Step S ₁ ] The glass bottles G aligned by the aligning means R are transferred from the aligning means R to the belt conveyor 1.
It is transferred and conveyed on the gap S of 2, and first passes through the colorless bottle discriminating means 20.

[Step S ₂ ] When the glass bottle G passes under the light source 21, the red light emitted from the light source 21 passes through the glass bottle G and travels through the gap S.

[Step S ₃ ] The transmitted light of the glass bottle G passing through the gap S is reflected by the reflecting mirror 26 and photographed (received) by the color sensor 27. The captured image of transmitted light is divided into three primary colors and output to the discrimination means 28 as RGB signals.

[Step S ₄ ] In the discriminating means 28,
Of the R, G and B signals output, the red component of the transmitted light and the red component of the red light emitted by the light source 21 are compared with respect to the R signal, which particularly indicates the red component.

The intensity of the red component of the transmitted light is equal to the intensity of the red component of the red light emitted from the light source 21 if the glass bottle G is a colorless bottle, but if the glass bottle G is a colored bottle, it is affected by the color. It is weakened and the difference in the intensity of the red component between the colorless and colored bottles becomes apparent. From this, the intensity of the red component of the red light emitted from the light source 21 is given to the discrimination means 28 in advance, and the intensity of the red component of the transmitted light and the light source 21 are given.
Is compared with the intensity of the red component of the red light emitted by, and the transmitted light that equalizes the two is detected. The glass bottle that emits the detected transmitted light is discriminated as a colorless bottle, and if not equal, it is discriminated as a colored bottle, and the discrimination result is transmitted to the control means 40. Note that the accuracy of comparison and judgment of the red color component can be arbitrarily set by the judgment means 28.

[Step S ₅ ] The glass bottle G that has passed through the colorless bottle discrimination means 20 subsequently passes through the colored bottle discrimination means 30. The white light emitted from the light source 31 irradiates the glass bottle G which is determined to be a colored bottle by the colorless bottle determination means 20, and the transmitted light of the glass bottle G passes through the gap S.

[Step S ₆ ] The transmitted light of the glass bottle G passing through the gap S is reflected by the reflecting mirror 36 and photographed (received) by the color sensor 37. The captured image of the transmitted light is split into the three primary colors and output to the identifying means 38 as RGB signals.

[Step S ₇ ] The discrimination means 38 discriminates the color of the glass bottle G based on the output RGB signals, and the discrimination result is transmitted to the control means 40.

[Step S ₈ ] In the control means 40, the discrimination result in the discrimination means 28 and the discrimination means 3
Based on the identification result in 8, the color-by-color discharge means H is operated and each glass bottle is sorted by color.

Since the glass bottles G are sequentially conveyed by the belt conveyor 12, the glass bottles G which are discriminated as colorless bottles by the colorless bottle discriminating means 20 are also glass bottles G.
Similarly, the light passes through the coloring bottle identifying means 30, and thus the glass bottle G is also irradiated with white light and receives the transmitted light, but since it has already been identified as a colorless bottle, the identifying means 38 identifies the color. Is not done. Therefore, in the flowchart of FIG. 3, the steps of illuminating the colorless bottle with white light and receiving the transmitted light are omitted.

According to the glass bottle color identification device 10 described in the present embodiment, when the glass bottle G is irradiated with red light, when the glass bottle G is a colorless bottle, the intensity of the red component of the red light and the transmitted light. In the case of a colored bottle, there is a clear difference in the intensity of the red component between the red light and the transmitted light. From this, by comparing the intensities of the red components of the red light and the transmitted light, and detecting the transmitted light that makes them equal, the glass bottle G that emits the transmitted light is determined as a colorless bottle, and the other glass bottles G are Determined as a colored bottle. Thereby, the glass bottle G can be accurately discriminated as a colorless bottle and a colored bottle.

Subsequently, since the color is identified only for the glass bottle G which is determined to be a colored bottle, the error of distinguishing a colorless bottle from a colored bottle is eliminated, and the recovery rate of colorless bottles having high reusability is improved. Therefore, it is possible to more accurately identify the color of the coloring bottle.

In the present embodiment, the light irradiating the glass bottle G in the colorless bottle discriminating means 20 is red light. However, the light tinged with the other three primary colors of light, that is, blue light and green light is used. Either light may be used.

Further, the light sources 21, 31, the light receiving means 25, 3
The arrangement of 5 may be changed depending on the shape of the glass bottle to be selected, the installation location of the apparatus itself, and other conditions. For example, the light sources 21 and 31 are arranged below the belt conveyor 12, the reflecting mirrors 26 and 36 are eliminated, and the color sensors 27 and 3 are disposed.
7 above the belt conveyor 12, the light source 2
It is possible to dispose 1 and 31 on one side of the belt conveyor 12 and the color sensors 27 and 37 on the other side of the belt conveyor 12 so as to face each other.

[0038]

According to the glass bottle color identification device of the first aspect, the colorless bottle identification means is arranged in the conveying path of the glass bottle to be selected, and the colored bottle identification means is arranged downstream thereof. Accurately distinguish the glass bottle to be sorted into a colorless bottle and a colored bottle first, and then perform color identification only for the glass bottle that is determined to be a colored bottle, so there is no error such as distinguishing a colorless bottle from a colored bottle. It is possible to improve the recovery rate of colorless bottles that are highly valuable for reuse, and it is possible to more accurately identify the colors of colored bottles.

According to the glass bottle color identification device of the second aspect, the colorless bottle and the colored bottle emit light from the light source by irradiating the glass bottle with light having one of the three primary colors of light. Since the difference in intensity between the color of light and the color of transmitted light becomes clear, the glass bottle that detects the transmitted light equal to the color of the light emitted by the light source and emits the transmitted light is a colorless bottle, and the others are colored bottles. It is possible to accurately distinguish between a colorless bottle and a colored bottle.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an embodiment of a glass bottle color identification device according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along line XX in FIG.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating the operation of the glass bottle color identification device according to the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing an example of a glass bottle color identification device.

[Explanation of symbols]

 10 Glass Bottle Color Identification Device 12 Belt Conveyor (Conveying Means) 20 Colorless Bottle Discrimination Means 21 Light Source 22 Diffuser Plate 23 Red Gelatin Sheet 25 Light Receiving Means 26 Reflector 27 Color Sensor 28 Discrimination Means 30 Colored Bottle Identification Means 40 Control Means G Glass Bottles H Discharge means by color R Alignment means S Gap

 ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continued front page (72) Inventor Hideo Shibata 3-2-16 Toyosu, Koto-ku, Tokyo Ishikawajima Harima Heavy Industries Co., Ltd. Toyosu General Office

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. A conveying means for conveying a glass bottle, a colorless bottle discriminating means for discriminating a glass bottle successively conveyed by the conveying means into a colorless bottle and a colored bottle, and a downstream side of the conveying means from the colorless bottle discriminating means. And a colored bottle identifying means for identifying the color of a glass bottle which is arranged as a colored bottle and which is discriminated as a colored bottle by the colorless bottle discriminating means. 2. The colorless bottle discriminating means emits one of the three primary colors of light and irradiates the light to a glass bottle sequentially conveyed by the conveying means, and a light source which is emitted from the light source and transmits through the glass bottle. A light receiving means for receiving the transmitted light and a glass bottle emitting the transmitted light by detecting the transmitted light having the same color as the light emitted from the light source among the transmitted light of the respective glass bottles received by the light receiving means. The glass bottle color identification device according to claim 1, further comprising a determination unit that determines